This week marks the 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2, the game that has probably influenced the modern triple-A landscape more than any other game, and its fans remain the most passionate and dedicated, despite knowing deep down that He had never done that before, accepting a sequel.
That means that this week marks the 20th anniversary of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, the game that failed so badly that the studio was shut down. (In the previous era it happened every month) and another game that is Even though it received a sequel From everything we've seen so far, It might not be the sequel that VTBM* fans really wanted.
*There are dozens of us… dozens of us!
We've seen this story play out a few times over the years. Popular songs that are likely to be overshadowed by bigger hits causing the first song to fall into confusion It has become a beloved classic among modders. video editor and those who had unhealthy childhood loves. (One finger that I pointing in the mirror)
Titanfall 2 is crushed between Battlefield 1 and Infinite Warfare. Mad Max released on the same day as Metal Gear Solid 5. Alan Wake – although it's only recently been redeemed by the sheer power of Remedy that made the excellent Alan Wake 2 – It came out the same week as Red Dead Redemption, a critical hit and a total commercial flop. This is thanks in large part to the ill-timed release timing.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is different from other games. In that the initial response was rather poor. Studios that are severely overworked and have unrealistic deadlines (Another reason Bloodlines was ahead of its time.) The game was released in an unfinished state and riddled with graphical glitches. incomplete mission and bugs that break the game Many of which weren't fixed until the 2019 fan patch came in to fill in the gaps. Bloodlines was a bit of a mess at launch, but if fans are willing to go back and fix it themselves 15 years later, It's a project that's being continuously updated until the end of 2023. There's got to be something special there.
There's no doubt that Half-Life 2 marked the beginning of the next generation of triple-A storytelling and cinematic games. But I can't help but wonder what impact Bloodlines might have had on the industry had the situation been different.
Perhaps a more open release calendar would mean better initial sales for Bloodlines, giving Troika the runway it needs to survive long enough to fix it. Perhaps it will become a classic immersive sim that inspires the industry in the same way that Half-Life 2 did, rather than a classic that hasn't sold well in the past.
Bloodlines' blend of Thief-style exploration and Fallout-style role-playing remains unrepeatable. There are games that have Bloodlines elements, but there's nothing quite like it.
We will never know what might have happened.
It's a matter of guesswork. But one thing that is certain is if the original is successful. We probably won't get a sequel that bears much resemblance to this one. Vampire: The Masquerade is a traditional tabletop IP, and Bloodlines is a familiar name. It's no surprise, then, that the more risk-averse gaming industry wants to capitalize on this name. But will the game stay true to the original and aim to please its fans (dozens!) with a faithful sequel?
Considering the developers of The Chinese Room refuse to mention the word immersive sim, it seems like the answer is no. It could be a great game. But it might not be a great Bloodlines sequel – certainly not the sequel we would have gotten if Bloodlines had been a hit.
Of course, we can't blame Half-Life 2, but it's interesting to think about how things turned out. How might it have been different for Bloodlines had Half-Life 2 not changed PC gaming forever in November 2004? Once again, Halo 2 had launched two weeks earlier, and World of Warcraft a week later. So maybe we should Just thankful that anyone still remembers Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodline
